Page:The Other House (London, William Heinemann, 1896), Volume 2.djvu/41

Rh "That's why I call you beautiful. You had my possible expectation to meet."

"Oh, yes!" he said again.

"And you were to meet it like a gentleman. I might have—but no matter. You risked your life—you've been magnificent." Jean got up. "And now, to make it perfect, you must take this back."

She put the morocco case into his submissive hand, and he sat staring at it and mechanically turning it round. Unconsciously, musingly he threw it a little way into the air and caught it again. Then he also got up. "They'll be tremendously down on us."

"On 'us'? On me, of course—but why on you?"

"For not having moved you."

"You've moved me immensely. Before me—let no one say a word about you!"

"It's of no consequence," Paul repeated.

"Nothing is, if we go on as we are. We're better friends than ever. And we're happy!" Jean announced in her triumph.

He looked at her with deep wistfulness, with patient envy. "You are!" Then his eyes took